The Second Trial:Understanding.
Inner Trial: Mastering Oneself Ray and Aki were near the towns of Shade and Margin but decided they really didn't need anymore trouble than they already had so they lowered their spirit energy to make sure they weren't found, as they walked down the road they saw a old man who needed help. "Would you like some help?" Asked Ray which the old man responded by nodding, Ray and Aki grabbed his hands and helped him across the street, when they reached the other side the old man thank him and suddenly snapped his fingers and transported them to a plain of grass. Suddenly he threw off his clothes and instead of an old man, a young adult with black hair as long as his body and wearing armor. "Who are you?" Ray asked as he gripped his sword and glared at him. Margin remained quiet, he just doesnt want to speak just yet. But he stared at the man only to look away again. Shade felt the cataclysmic energy that the Center gave off, and followed it, running at his normal speed, as to hide himself. "You have meet Desire so you may call me Sage." Sage said smiling as looked at Ray. "What do you want with Ray?!" Aki yelled at him. "Like she told him, we have been watching you ever since you were consived." Sage said as he picked up a blade of grass. "Why, what is the point?!" Ray yelled as he drew his sword but was stopped easily by Sage. "Easy now." Sage said. "Have fun then, Ray.....I'll go find the demon-dog who just went away..." Margin said as he walks away to find Shade. Shade stopped for no reason. "Now what? C'mon God, for once a little help just may restore my faith in you." He felt a familiar energy behind him. "Margin, have I lost my mind yet?" "You need to learn to control that temper of your's Ray." Sage said as he summoned an area straight from the ground,"I wish to teach you how to control your powers that you were given." Sage said as he jumped and landed on a building. "Fine, I accept." Ray said as he took his gigai and look at him. "I'll help you Ray." Aki said getting ready to become his sparring partner. Shade and Margin scene: ''"Pretty much...But let me tell you this...Its not that all bad." Margin said as he punched Shade, although not very strong, on his shoulder, hoping to cheer him up. "Hm. Sorry I've been acting funny. It's just, seeing how far you've gone in such a short time, really awoke my inner desire again." "I'm no better than you are, well maybe a lil stronger but who knows, right?" Margin trying to act friendly so Shade, well, its not like his not his friend. They've been through a lot. "You're right as usually my friend. I'm only able to freeze most things, excluding you, but now, I've got Cero. Now it's almost like we're back to square one, just like the day we met." "Now you've said *cero*, I wanna know who has the stronger one...." Raising his palm, Margin charged a pitch black cero and fire it off. ''Meanwhile.... Ray started to focus his training as he spared with Aki several time and found themselves on tied, meanwhile Sage was looking at them as they worked hard. Shade saw the Cero blast and began his own. The icy blue blast met the black in a large blast."I think we're even there too." The blast reached Ray and Aki. "Oopsie...SO sorry.." Ray blocked it easily as he absorbed it into his blade and lauched it back. Margin raised both of his hands as he blocked it. "Careful there.." "What are you two doing here?" Ray asked glaring at the both of them. "Trying to kill each other. What else?" Shade held up a wounded hand, trying to repair itself. "No Shade, I'm helping Ray train to master his shikai powers." Aki told him. "I can see that one." Shade spat. "I was refering to what me and Margin were doing. Ray asked what we were doing, and I replied." "I know that, anyway how did you find me?" Ray asked Shade. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." Shade said as he unsheathed his Hell-Blade. "Got a problem with that?" "So i guess this means you want a piece of me?" Ray asked gripping his sword. "Aki, Come here." Sage told her as she shunpo'd up along side him. "Are you sure about this?" Aki asked him. "Yes, something tells me that these two will bring out the best in each other and will make each other even stronger than before." Sage said smiling. Shade didn't even wait for Ray to move. He ran towards his opponent, and slashed downwards. Ray smiled as he slashed upward colliding with Shade's Zanpaktuo" Reminds me of the god old days" Ray smiled and pushed Shade back. "Good? Can you explain what good is? Try. I dare you." Shade said, using Kogeru to move behind Ray. "Because no matter how many times we fight." Ray started to say as he jumped and fliped over to attack,"We always give it all we got." "Have I gone demon yet? I don't think so. That means, I hold all the cards." Shade swung his sword, sending ice shards flying at Ray. "Not likely, Haiburiddoraion!" 'Ray made three black energy lions come out of his hand and collide with the shards as Ray landed and shot more at Shade. Shade used Kogeru to dodge the attack, and when he appeared, his sword was at Ray's neck. "What else you got?" Ray chuckled as suddenly his entire body was covered with White aura then suddenly he sprouted lion like features,"'Hakujin Raion Hogosha!" Ray elbowed Shade into a wall and smiled. "The Hell?" Shade pulled himself free of the wall, bloody wounds all over him. "Don't hold back, if you want to make it out of here alive." "Fine with me, I never hold back Shade." Ray said as he shunpo'd even faster than Shade remember and attacked. Shade dodged, without wasted effort, and spun around to cut Ray at the waist. Ray summoned a lion head on his wrist and blocked the attack,"Told you i never hold back." Ray then kicked Shade but not hard enough to to slam him in the wall but enough to get thrown on the floor. "You can't expect to win this time. Not again. This time, I'll win." Shade called out in a demonic tounge, "May God pardon your sins through the flames of Hell." A fireball appeared on Shade's hand, and he fused it with his Cero. "Demon Kido, Hell's Flash." he fired the blast at Ray, knowing it would deal some damage. Ray smiled as he started to focus the energy around him. The attack impacted, blasting Ray dead on. "No one can survive that, without some sort of defensive wall, but I didn't put enough force to kill you." Suddenly out of nowhere a giant energy lion appeared and Ray smiled," My friend Umaga protects me, Smile!" Ray then launched a blast of energy right at him. "Umaga?" Shade asked, moving in for the kill. "Hear me, oh Lord of Pain, and grant me santuary in your home. Devil Kido, Hell's Flash." a ball of light manifested in Shade's hand, and again, he fused it with his Cero, firing it off. Ray stood there ready to defend himself but suddenly his lion dissappeared and Ray took the shot since somehow he couldn't move at all. "Heh. Let's think for a sec, if I can use Cero, does that mean I also can use Gran Ray Cero?" Shade asked, with a smug look on his face. Out of nowhere Ray was starting to see black coming from the corner of his eye and stil couldn't move then saw a giant energy building up. Shade sliced his hand, letting his blood mix with his energy, but it only created a normal Cero attack. "This ought to push you over the edge." Ray kept trying to move but suddenly only one of his eyes were completly black looking deep into Shade's eye. "Enough." Sage told them as he stood in the middle of them to make sure nothing else happened then he pushed on Ray's forehead causing the blackness to return to normal,"Now you understand if you are to truly become stronger you must learn to control all of your powers." Sage told him. "So what do i do?" Ray asked. Then Sage knocked Ray out and focused an energy inside him, then looked at Shade." If he starts to turn hollow then you must kill him only if he shows the mask and goes berserk." Sage told him. "Got it. If so much a a broken chunk of mask shoud form, his head will roll at my feet." Sage nodded and headed back up. Ray's Inner Demon When Ray opened his eyes he looked around to find himself in some sort of African-Plain with the night sky having so many bright stars, he looked around to see if he could find anything and then saw something glowing in the middle of the field. He walked all the way towards him and saw his relection in the middle of a small pool of water that was giving a glowing light then out of nowhere he was pulled in and was falling and falling deep into a dark hole that seemed endless before he slammed hard onto the floor and groaned. "Did you have a nice fall??" A deep demon-like voice asked as Ray looked around to see that he was now in some place that had pillars along with the black space above and right in front of Ray was the one person he never thought he saw................... himself but it looked more white with black teeth and eyes with emerald pupils. "Where the hell am i?!" Ray asked the person as he stood up. "Where else, in your mind boss man." The other Ray told him as he then grabbed a star piece and cracked it open to reveal Ray's Zanpaktuo which shocked Ray and then he saw that his own sword was gone. "How did you....?" Ray asked but then saw that his other self had already shunpo'd in front of him and smiled. "You know ever since I was born from the center I've been wondering why I was even here for anyway and everytime I wondered I'd always to try to get out and see the world for myself." Ray's other self started to explain as he walked around and pointed around his sword. Then Ray glared at him then went in for the attack despite the fact that he had no weapons on hand but Ray was kicked in the gut and sent flying towards one of the stars as he made contact and was blasted hard into the ground. "You know I always wondered why i was born into this body but now i know my reason so unless you want me to kill you and take over your body you'll listen to what i have to say." 'He said as he suddenly sat down on the ground and looked at Ray. "What exactly are you talking about, i figured since you're my inner hollow you'd want to devour me than talk to me." Ray said to his inner hollow as he sat up and looked at him. '"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! You honestly believe I'm stupid even if i devour your soul everyone will see me as a freak which is why I'm going to offer you a deal." 'Hollow Ray said as he grabbed Ray and pulled up. "What deal?" Ray asked. '"I've seen the battles you've been in and the fact that your alive must make you very awesome, I want you to use my power to defeat every single person you fight." His Inner Hollow said as he handed Ray his Zanpaktuo. "Are you serious??" Ray asked with so much confusion in his head that he actually almost decided to faint. Out of nowhere Hollow Ray grabbed Ray's sword and started glowing,"I'm always serious." The light blinded Ray. Ending Trial:True Friendship Suddenly out of nowhere Ray started to glow before a bright light glowed blinding everyone there. The light stopped as Ray stood up with a brand new blue and white hollow mask then looked over at Margin and asked in a new deeper hollow-like voice,'"So this is the hollow power you have?" '''Ray asked him "What?.......Well, yeah?" Margin replied, amusement obvious on his voice. '"Haha, sorry i just feel so diffrent when i have this on." 'Ray said looking around him. "Well well it seems that you are truly diffrent and more unique than expected, so it's time to find out if you can control that." Sage said then pointed towards Shade and Margin "Heh. The Perfect Arrancar, and the Demon vs The New Guy? Sounds good to me." Shade said, grinning.. ''SMACK! ''"Who the hell told you Im an arrancar?" A small hill-like thing appeared on Shade's head as Margin just hit it with his knuckles. '"hey Ladies, if your done with your tea party let's get this match started." 'Ray said as he gripped his sword and used Sonido to charge forward. Shade drew his Hell-Blade, and moved only an inch. "Margin, you ready?" Before Margin could reply, the wave of energy that came from Ray's blade threw him off. As the smoke cleared he stood up, unscathed with his eyes different. Ray smiled as he then went faster and in one instant went even faster than the two could see and was able to knock out both of them in no time flat as they both hit the ground in a harsh way which made Ray feel guilty as he made them lay next to each other. "Wow I am really impressed, that was one of the quickest battles I've ever seen and those two must have been really hit hard to have been knocked out in one shot but I am impressed and proud of you." Suddenly out of nowhere Ray woke up to find himself out of the city on the next route to the next town with Aki walking next to him. "Well i have my powers returning to me." Ray said smiling at his sword. "I know we will find out what you're truly made of soon Ray." Aki told him as they kissed and kept on walking. In the Distance Sage looked onward towards them smiling at their love, Desire comes from behind him and puts her hand on his shoulder and smiles as the two of them Dissappear into the wind. ''The Final Realization: Ray Martinez Reborn!